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TECHNOLOGY VERSUS TRAVEL
THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UPON THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
by Roger Egan
Technology is great, isn’t it? It’s there in almost every aspect of our lives. Want to see how many steps you’ve walked? There’s an App for that. Want to find out what that tune is that’s playing at the Beach bar whilst sipping a Mojito? There’s an App for that. Hotel rooms that open with NFC on your smartphone, booking cabs, finding public water filling points. I think there may also very soon be an App for making telephone calls… One of the benefits of this adoption of technology is that we are able to reduce the time taken to accomplish some of the more mundane and time- consuming aspects of our lives. For me, one of those things is the booking of a vacation. Yes, it has become a relatively simple process for the individual thanks to technology. In theory, you can have your flight, accommodation and activities booked upon one platform in ten minutes. And it can all be done within the comfort of your own home, workplace, or, well, anywhere, really, from a smart-phone. Great. Unsurprising then that OTAs (Online Travel Agents) and booking platforms have become enormously popular and successful. Why? Because they aim to please every one, or, at least, as many people as possible. And it works, to a certain extent. Most people want similar things from a two-week getaway, and most will come back home satisfied with their experience. It’s such common practice that people don’t even ask any more how you booked your holiday. But what if you’re looking for that personal touch? Not so easy as you think. You can type away on various platforms, and eventually, you will realise that ‘unique experiences’, ‘tailor-made’ and the like all seem to look quite depressingly similar. So what do? Talk to someone. No. Not an analyst, but a specialist. A Travel Agent. Yes, really. Get yourself down to your local agent and have a chat. Tell them what you like. What you love and what you hate. Opera, Museums, Festivals, Ice carving, Beer festivals, architecture… Whatever you want to experience. Think of it as an investment. After all, it is your time you are spending. For you, booking a vacation is a
process you go through probably three or four times a year, and spend maybe a few days in total. For the agent, it is what they do every day. The more information the agent has, the better your experience will be. You have the chance to build a relationship that has the potential to be phenomenally rewarding. It’s time to stop thinking of the travel agent simply as someone that books flights and villas on your behalf, instead consider them as your personal gateway to the cultural world.
Here lies the most significant difference between OTAs and a Human Travel Agent. Culture. Culture is about people, about what it means to be human. If culture is about humanity, doesn’t it make sense to begin your cultural journey by talking to a person? Computers and programs don’t have culture. They have algorithms. I don’t speak algorithm. The OTAs way of booking is to apply a series of filters (chosen by you) to arrive at a destination that is most likely to be acceptable. You get close, but there may still be a little work you have to do if you want something that speaks only to you. The agent on the other hand doesn’t work this way. The agent is human. They have culture. They understand you. An agent will be able to get straight to the heart of your vacation, using their knowledge, experience and vast pool of resources. What would usually have been a vacation can be transformed into a cultural experience. Your time belongs to you. It’s valuable, really the only commodity we all have. Travel is a great way of spending time. Travel and culture makes us richer individually and collectively. Invest some time by building a relationship with your agent and in turn, invest in yourself. I don’t think there’s an App for that.
Roger Egan is co-founder of Planet Egan Ltd, and is committed to creating new partnerships and synergies in order to work towards the ultimate goal of a more sustainable and responsible travel and tourism industry.
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